"I slipped and fell"

At the start of December, I slipped and fell onto my left outstretched arm this happened in my backyard. Instantly I knew something was very wrong. So my partner took me to RAH A&E where I was assessed by triage and I was seen fairly quickly (staff were very helpful and kind) I did have a wait for X-ray but it was a sat night.

In X-ray my arm was so painful it was difficult for the radiographer to even move it but it had to be done. I was left outside for sometime to wait for a doctor and told no fluids as I might need surgery. After about 40 mins a doctor came to see me and told me to remove any rings which I did, he was moving my arm around and it was very painful and he gave me oramorph which helped a little, he told me I could go home with a sling and pain killers and the elbow X-ray showed a hairline fracture on the radius, he said I was to come back to the fracture clinic at the beginning of Jan. I also had a fracture on my right hand too and was given a support for that.

I went home and as the days passed I was really struggling esp with the toilet and trying to use my arms to touch my clothes, thankfully my partner helped me. But after 10 days I called the fracture clinic explaining my situation they brought forward my appt and I was seen by a consultant who eventually arranged a ct scan revealing a very serious triad injury which required surgery asap.

I was sent to the royal infirmary Glasgow and had emergency surgery with screws and a plate. I have been and still am attending my consultant. It’s been a long painful journey and I will never get 100% mobility but I’m doing ok. I’m still on pain killers and I often wonder if I had been diagnosed earlier with this awful injury my arm might have better mobility, I cannot fault the caring staff at Paisley fracture clinic nor the consultants nor the aftercare but I can’t understand why such a triad injury was missed and recorded as a simple fracture.

It’s been months of pain , physio and rehabilitation and my journey is not over, I was only offered 5 physio appts. I could not believe just how important our elbows are and how much we take things for granted, I’m super careful now where I’m trying to walk. I would like to thank the lovely caring nurse who offered to help me take my trousers down as I burst into tears, she even got me a coffee and sandwiches but sadly I can’t remember her name but top marks to that lovely blonde lady and to the quick acting consultant who arranged my referral to the Royal for emergency surgery in Dec.